Choice Band Scizor is famous for its ability to revenge kill opposing sweepers and scout the opponent's team with its powerful U-turns. Bullet Punch can pick off many weakened enemies like 4 HP Gengar, who is always OHKOed after Stealth Rock damage, and Salamence with no HP or Defense EVs, who takes a minimum of 58.73% (not factoring in Intimidate). Superpower rounds off the set by allowing Scizor to OHKO several of its common switch-ins, such as Heatran and Magnezone. Brick Break can be used as an alternative to Superpower, but it won't OHKO either Heatran or Magnezone after Stealth Rock damage on average. Pursuit is a very effective choice for the last slot, letting Scizor pick off the many frail Pokemon who switch out in fear of Bullet Punch. Starmie and Gengar will be defeated whether they stay in or switch thanks to Technician's boosts. Blissey will be really apprehensive of a super effective Superpower or STAB Bug-type attack, so can be greatly weakened by Pursuit as she switches out. Quick Attack provides a powerful priority attack that can hit Bullet Punch resistant Pokemon like Infernape, Starmie, Jolteon, and Gyarados. Stealth Rock is absolutely necessary on any team with Scizor, as between U-turn and the entry hazard, counters like Gyarados and Zapdos will find a hard time countering Scizor over a long period of time. Using Pokemon who lure attacks Scizor resists are also fine partners (Salamence attracts Ice-type attacks, Rotom formes attract Dark-type attacks, etc.). Common revenge killers for a Choice-locked Scizor are Magnezone, Heatran, Gyarados, and Rotom-A. Bulky Water-types can switch into Heatran and Gyarados quite easily, and both Tyranitar and Blissey are good switch-ins to Heatran, Zapdos, Magnezone, and Rotom-A (as long as it doesn’t get burned by Will-O-Wisp). Firing off U-turns at the beginning of a match helps scout for Magnezone. Opposing Pokemon who can set up on a Choice-locked Pursuit (Dragon Dance Gyarados and Tyranitar, Swords Dance Lucario, etc.) should be made easily dealt with by Scizor's partners (Rotom formes deal with both of these threats reasonable well). Weak attackers who can take advantage of a free switch-in thanks to Scizor's U-turn make great partners, Infernape and Gengar being good examples. Infernape can also revenge kill Lucario and Tyranitar with Mach Punch should they get the chance to set up.
Scizor is an extremely potent sweeper after a Swords Dance; Bullet Punch would normally be used to pick off faster, frail enemies, however due to the immense power of Bullet Punch after taking STAB, Technician, Swords Dance, and Life Orb into account, you'll find yourself using it as your main attack, 2HKOing even Gliscor. Brick Break can break any screens set up by the opponent and is more reliable, however Superpower 2HKOes Skarmory after a Swords Dance and OHKOes Heatran switch-ins. Bug Bite is a fantastic STAB attack because of Technician and is Scizor’s best bet against bulky Water-types, OHKOing even Vaporeon on average after a Swords Dance. Roost, however, gives Scizor longevity. Quick Attack does more damage to Bullet Punch resistant Pokemon like Infernape, Zapdos, Starmie, and Jolteon, while U-turn allows Scizor to scout the opponent’s team in the early stages of battle. 32 HP EVs will allow 11 uses of Life Orb provided Scizor has not sustained prior damage. 224 Speed EVs gives Scizor a 222 Speed stat, allowing it to outspeed a maximum Speed, neutral nature Tyranitar and OHKO it with Brick Break even before Swords Dance. If you're not worried about outspeeding much, feel free to move all the Speed EVs into HP instead (only max out at 248 HP EVs for Stealth Rock purposes). Life Orb greatly improves Scizor’s sweeping ability, however Leftovers gives it an easier time setting up. The Rotom formes make excellent counters to Swords Dance Scizor, resisting all of its attacks and threatening with Will-O-Wisp and possibly Overheat. Similarly, Zapdos can easily take any of Scizor’s attacks then OHKO back with Heat Wave. Tyranitar is a fairly safe method of dealing with both Rotom-A and Zapdos with Crunch and Stone Edge, however it will have to watch out for Will-O-Wisp when switching into Rotom formes. Heatran also makes a great partner to Scizor, as it can come in for free on Rotom-A’s Will-O-Wisp or Overheat, getting a Flash Fire boost in the process, as well as take hits from Zapdos reasonably well and then threaten to KO both with Fire Blast. Scizor will absolutely need a Pokemon who can switch in on Fire-type attacks. The previously mentioned Heatran and Tyranitar, as well as bulky Water-types like Suicune, Swampert, and Vaporeon work well with Scizor for this reason. Because of Scizor’s low Speed, paralysis support from Thunder Wave or Body Slam can be invaluable in helping it sweep, allowing it to beat many would-be counters with Bug Bite or Brick Break.
Due to Scizor’s great typing and above average defenses, it is relatively easy for this set to find the time to get a Swords Dance and proceed to sweep. Bullet Punch OHKOes many faster frail Pokemon, but also has the power to 2HKO most bulkier ones. Superpower still KOs switch-ins like Magnezone and Heatran, however if the Attack and Defense drop is undesirable, Brick Break is a viable alternative. Roost rounds off the set by giving Scizor the ability to easily set up against any Pokemon who fails to 2HKO it, as well as making it harder for your opponent to take out Scizor. Bulky Scizor is most effective when it is supported by several layers of entry hazards, ideally Stealth Rock and a couple of layers of Spikes, as these will turn many 3HKOs on physical walls, such as Gliscor and Hippowdon, into 2HKOs. This set is also best used on a fairly bulky team, which can properly benefit from Scizor’s bulk and resistances, as well as covering Scizor’s weaknesses. Tyranitar, Latias, and Heatran complement Scizor well, coming in easily on many of the attacks that Scizor attracts, and then threatening to KO the opponent’s Scizor counter. As with other sets, Scizor is countered easily by Zapdos, the Rotom Appliances, Heatran, and Magnezone. The latter two can be dealt with fairly well by hitting them with Superpower as they switch in, however Zapdos and Rotom-A will wall Scizor with ease. Tyranitar and Heatran are two of the most effective ways of easily coming in and threatening them. Bulky Water-types can be worn down and stalled out with Toxic Spikes thanks to Roost and the bulkier EVs, however a solid Grass- or Electric- type who can switch in and defeat them reliably is a must. Roserade both sets up Toxic Spikes and beats Water-types directly, so it makes a good partner.
Scizor is a reliable Baton Passer thanks to its typing, Roost, and a number of stat boosts to pass to its teammates. Roost is the best option for slot three as it provides Scizor a great way of healing off residual damage. Swords Dance pairs well with Bullet Punch to give Scizor a mode of attacking opponents. Bug Bite is Scizor’s second useful STAB, and prevents Celebi from switching in and using Perish Song. Substitute allows Scizor to pass its boosts safely, while offering extra protection for the Pokémon who is receiving them. Thanks to Roost, you can repeat using Substitute when necessary. There are many ways to EV this type of Scizor. Near max HP is always recommended, however going higher than 248 EVs causes Scizor to take more Stealth Rock damage. If Scizor is not passing Agility, it can use the Speed EVs in either its Attack stat with Swords Dance, or its Defense stat with Iron Defense. If Baton Passing Swords Dance, Metagross is a great receiver because of its typing and its trait, Clear Body, which means it won't lose its boosts after receiving them. However, as Metagross and Scizor are both weak to Fire-type moves, you should be careful not to switch Metagross in on any move that Scizor attracts. Gyarados and Salamence appreciate a Swords Dance and are resistant to Fire-type moves Scizor attracts. When passing Iron Defense, Scizor will most likely want to include other stat-passers in its team as to create a Pokemon who can both attack and take hits. A quick switch to Heatran, Zapdos, or Magnezone can often cause a Baton Pass team with Scizor to lose their chain. To prevent this, a Pokemon who can take Fire-type attacks is a great partner. Vaporeon does this and can also Baton Pass Acid Armor and steady Substitutes. Gliscor resists Magnezone's and Zapdos's Electric STAB and can threaten them with Earthquake and Stone Edge, respectively. Gliscor also has the ability to Baton Pass Agility and Swords Dance.
Thanks to a combination of Scizor's typing, movepool, and offensive stats, Choice Band Scizor is an excellent choice in Ubers for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which being Scizor’s ability to revenge kill with Bullet Punch, and its ability to scout Uber teams with U-turn (which hits a large amount of the Uber metagame super effectively.) Something very important to note about Uber Choice Band Scizor is that it has two equally usable EV spreads that have several advantages and disadvantages over each other. The first EV spread is 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 SpD. This allows Scizor to not only have reasonable attacking power, but it also allows Scizor to survive a +1 Thunder from Latias. Scizor will also take less from special Dragon-type attacks from powerful foes, such as Palkia. The other EV spread is 248 HP / 252 Attack / 8 Spe. While Scizor loses a significant amount of bulk (most notably, it is OHKOed by a +1 Thunder from Latias after Stealth Rock), in return Scizor gains enough power to turn several 2HKOs to OHKOs. U-turn is what makes Choice Band Scizor such a threat in the Uber tier, as it does a huge amount of damage to several prominent threats who may attempt to switch into Scizor. For example, a 4 HP Kyogre (who may switch in predicting a Bullet Punch) takes 52%-61% from a U-turn from the more bulky Choice Band Scizor, and even maximum HP Kyogre will take over 50% from a U-turn from max Attack Choice Band Scizor! Palkia also takes a large amount of damage, as U-turn will always do over 50%, regardless of the EV spread Scizor is using. U-turn will easily OHKO Darkrai, Latias, Latios, and offensive Mewtwo as well. The biggest benefit U-turn provides, though, is the ability to scout the opponent’s switch-in to Scizor due to U-turn’s switching ability, and thus allows you to switch to a Pokémon that can take advantage of Scizor’s checks. The other defining move of Choice Band Scizor in Ubers is Bullet Punch, which allows Scizor to revenge kill several prominent threats in the Uber metagame. For example, Darkrai is always 2HKOed by Bullet Punch, taking 54%-64% from the more bulky Scizor spread, while taking 62%-73% from max Attack Choice Band Scizor. Shaymin-S will suffer 52%-61% from bulky Choice Band Scizor’s Bullet Punch, while it will take 59%-70% from a max Attack Bullet Punch. Rayquaza takes 43%-51% from bulky Choice Band Scizor’s Bullet Punch, which means that Rayquaza will always be 2HKOed after taking damage from Stealth Rock. Maximum Attack Choice Band Scizor does not even need Stealth Rock to 2HKO Rayquaza, as it takes 50%-58% from Bullet Punch. When attempting to revenge kill Garchomp, Scizor must have max Attack. This is because Bulky Choice Band Scizor will only have a 3% chance of 2HKOing Garchomp with Bullet Punch after Stealth Rock (dealing 40%-48% to Garchomp), while a max Attack Bullet Punch will always 2HKO Garchomp after Stealth Rock (doing 47%-55%, which means that there is also a 74% chance that Bullet Punch will 2HKO without Stealth Rock). This is not a problem if your team has Spikes and Stealth Rock support, as Bulky Choice Band Scizor will have a 99% chance of 2HKOing Garchomp with Bullet Punch, after Garchomp takes damage from Stealth Rock and one layer of Spikes. Finally, Bullet Punch will allow Scizor to easily revenge kill Deoxys-A. Superpower’s main use is to hit Pokémon who resist both Bullet Punch and U-turn, such as Forretress, Lucario (although Bullet Punch still does a huge amount of damage to Lucario), opposing Scizor, and, most notably, Dialga. Superpower’s best quality is that it can make Scizor into an effective Dialga lure, as Dialga will commonly switch into Scizor, due to the rest of its moves hardly even scratching Dialga. Bulky Choice Band Scizor will have a 92% chance of OHKOing a 4 HP Dialga after Stealth Rock, while max Attack Choice Band Scizor will always OHKO a 4 HP Dialga with Superpower, even without Stealth Rock. Most Dialga with only 4 HP EVs are Choice Scarf Dialga and with it out of the way, Darkrai, Garchomp, Shaymin-S, Swords Dance Lucario, and Swords Dance Rayquaza will have a significantly easier time sweeping. Max Attack Choice Band Scizor also has the bonus of being able to OHKO 120 HP mixed Dialga after Stealth Rock, and having a 79% chance of OHKOing 252 HP Dialga after it takes Stealth Rock damage. Pursuit can put Deoxys-A, Mewtwo, and Latias in a tough position. Pursuit will spell doom for Deoxys-A regardless of whether it switches or not (unless Deoxys-A is carrying Hidden Power Fire). Both Mewtwo and Latias are 2HKOed by Pursuit if they stay in on Scizor. If Latias attempts to escape, Pursuit and Stealth Rock will put Latias at low enough health to be KOed by Stealth Rock when it switches in next. Max Attack Scizor will always OHKO both Latias and Mewtwo as they switch from Pursuit, as long as they have taken damage from Stealth Rock beforehand. Finally, max Attack Choice Band Scizor has the bonus of being able to destroy a fleeing Choice Scarf Shaymin-S with Pursuit, as long as it as switched into Stealth Rock once, as the combination of Pursuit and two switches into Stealth Rock will destroy Shaymin-S. With these Pokémon being eliminated by Pursuit, Scizor can allow several teammates to have an easier time sweeping. For example, the removal of Mewtwo will allow Darkrai, Shaymin-S, and Dragon Dance Tyranitar to have a much easier time sweeping. The destruction of Latias allows Kyogre to smash through teams (particularly the Calm Mind set with Sleep Talk and Rest). Choice Scarf Shaymin-S’s elimination makes Rock Polish Groudon much harder to stop. Pursuit’s utility is further expanded upon when in use with Tickle Wobbuffet. After Wobbuffet uses Tickle 3 times on the Standard 252 HP / 52 Def Bold Lugia, Pursuit will OHKO it as it flees. In a similar manner, 4 Tickles plus Pursuit will destroy a fleeing Blissey (max Attack Scizor will only require 3 Tickles). Destroying Lugia can open up sweeps for physically-based Pokémon, such as Groudon and Rayquaza, while defeating Blissey will allow Choice Specs Dialga and other powerful special attackers to sweep more easily. Pursuit does have a flaw on Choice Band Scizor, and it is that several powerful Pokémon in Ubers can easily set up on Scizor after it uses it. For example, Rayquaza, Darkrai, Garchomp, Groudon, Dialga, and many more Pokémon can use a Choiced Pursuit as set up time. It is impossible to counter all of the Uber Pokémon who can set up on a Scizor that is locked into Pursuit, thus it is best to use Pursuit only when you have nearly full knowledge of the opponent’s team. One of Choice Band Scizor’s biggest problems in Ubers is dealing with both Stealth Rock and Spikes at the same time. Due to Choice Band Scizor’s lack of a recovery move and the constant switching caused by U-turn, Stealth Rock and Spikes will make Scizor’s life very short. Because of this, it is best to use a lead who can stop Deoxys-S from setting up both Stealth Rock and Spikes. Choice Scarf Darkrai is an excellent example of this. Choice Scarf Darkrai outspeeds Deoxys-S, and can either 2HKO (due to Focus Sash) it with Dark Pulse or put it to sleep with Dark Void, which also breaks its Focus Sash due to Bad Dreams. At the worst, Darkrai will only let Deoxys-S get Stealth Rock up. Choice Scarf Shaymin-S can also outspeed and 2HKO Deoxys-S with Air Slash. If Deoxys-S flinches, it will often be unable to even set up Stealth Rock. Tyranitar can stop most Deoxys-S from setting up more than Stealth Rock thanks to Crunch destroying Deoxys-S after the eternal sandstorm breaks the Focus Sash. A lead Metagross can defeat Deoxys-S with a combination of Meteor Mash and Bullet Punch, only allowing Deoxys-S to put up Stealth Rock. Finally, although not a lead, Forretress can use Rapid Spin to get rid of entry hazards. Using Forretress and at Scizor together may seem odd, but it can extend Scizor’s life span by quite a bit, thanks to the lack of entry hazards harming Scizor. Choice Band Scizor will also appreciate users of Wish. The best two Pokémon for this job are Blissey and Latias. Blissey can take high powered special attacks (such as Surfs from Palkia) that are aimed at Scizor, while Latias and Scizor resist all of each other's weaknesses. Unlike the other Uber Scizor sets, Choice Band Scizor has some serious problems with being revenge killed by Wobbuffet. If Scizor is locked into any move but U-turn, Wobbuffet can use Counter to easily revenge kill Scizor. There is nothing that can be done if Wobbuffet does this, thus it is best to eliminate Wobbuffet before you use Choice Band Scizor’s other moves. A good way to do this is to use either mixed Palkia or mixed Dialga, and pose them as Choice Scarf users. As Wobbuffet switches in on a special attack, you can then slam it with Outrage while it tries to use Mirror Coat, often weakening Wobbuffet beyond the point of usability.
Scizor is a perfect choice for a Pokémon who can put its opponent into a checkmate position. With Technician, Pursuit becomes a 60 Base Power move if the opponent decides to stay and fight. If the opponent decides to flee, Pursuit’s Base Power will double from 40 to 80. While this set may lack the power that Choice Band Scizor has, the ability to freely change attacks more than makes up for the power loss. For example, now that Scizor is not locked into Pursuit, Rayquaza and Darkrai will no longer be able to set up on Scizor, as they can be 2HKOed by Bullet Punch after they take Stealth Rock damage. Although Pursuit will never OHKO Mewtwo, it will still do 51%-61% if Mewtwo stays in, and Mewtwo will take 68%-81% if it dares to switch out. Latias will take 55%-66% from Pursuit if it stays in, while 74%-87% is dealt if Latias switches out. Deoxys-A will be OHKOed, regardless of whether it chooses to switch or stay in. The given EVs allows Scizor a balance of offense and defense. With the Special Defense EVs, Scizor has the ability to switch into Dragon and Dark Pulses from Latias and Darkrai, respectively. Scizor must be aware of Latias in the rain, however, as Thunder will 2HKO Scizor. With only one weakness, it is easy for Scizor to step into many of these threats and force them to switch out. This makes Roost an excellent option to recover damage from switching in to attacks and entry hazards and out again, or from constant Life Orb recoil. Roost, most importantly, allows Scizor to have a much easier time dealing with entry hazards than when it uses Choice Band. The 100 Attack EVs will allow Scizor to easily OHKO Darkrai with U-turn, and to always OHKO both Latias and a 4 HP Mewtwo with U-turn, after they take damage from Stealth Rock. Bullet Punch will not only destroy Deoxys-A, but will also deal 48% - 57% to Darkrai (a guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock damage), since it resists Pursuit anyway. On top of that, a 379 HP / 216 Def Rayquaza suffers 36% – 43% from Scizor’s Bullet Punch, or a 95% chance of a 2HKO with Stealth Rock taken into account. Shaymin-S will take 46%-55% from Bullet Punch, another guaranteed 2HKO after it takes Stealth Rock damage. Life Orb is the best item for this set. It guarantees the OHKOs and 2HKOs listed above. If the recoil from Life Orb is a problem, Expert Belt is a fine option to remedy it. Unfortunately, not many Pokémon are hit for super effective damage from Bullet Punch. The only residual damage Scizor should really worry about is indirect damage from Stealth Rock and Spikes. Thanks to this Scizor’s ability to freely switch between attacks, using Pursuit becomes much less risky than using it on Choice Band Scizor, thus Trapper Scizor is one of the best teammates for Tickle Wobbuffet. After Wobbuffet uses Tickle on Lugia 5 times, Scizor will OHKO Lugia with Pursuit while it attempts to flee, regardless of the EV spread that Lugia has. With Lugia out of the way, Swords Dance Lucario, Swords Dance Rayquaza, Bulk Up Dialga, Choice Band Garchomp, Groudon, and many other physical attackers will have a much easier time sweeping. After Tickling Blissey 4 times, Wobbuffet will allow Scizor to OHKO a fleeing Blissey with Pursuit. With Blissey eliminated, Choice Specs Dialga, Latios, Latias, Mewtwo, Shaymin-S, and many other hard hitting special attackers will be extremely difficult to wall. This particular Scizor set will have huge problems with Dialga, as it not only walls this Scizor’s moveset, but is also an extremely unpredictable Pokémon who can cost you a game if you make a bad switch in. When dealing with Dialga, always check to see if it recovers any health from Leftovers. If Dialga is holding Leftovers, it is likely using either a Bulk Up set or a support set. Bulk Up Dialga is best handled by Groudon, as Groudon can a 2HKO Dialga who has used Bulk Up once with Earthquake. Although Lucario takes a massive amount of damage from a +1 Outrage, a Life Orb Lucario can set up a Swords Dance on Bulk Up Dialga, and then OHKO it with Close Combat. Both Lugia and Skarmory can take Bulk Up Dialga’s assaults, and use Whirlwind to get it out of the way. Support Dialga will often carry either a Fire-type move or Thunder to get rid of Steel-types. A Specially Defensive Groudon can switch into even a support Dialga’s Draco Meteor, and do a severe amount of damage with Earthquake. If Dialga is not holding Leftovers, then it is likely to be using on of its offensive sets (usually either a mixed attacker, Choice Scarf, Choice Specs, or Choice Band user). Although a risky choice, a Garchomp equipped with either Life Orb or Choice Band can switch into both the Thunders and Fire-type attacks that Dialga will attempt to hit Scizor with, and then OHKO it with Earthquake, but you must be extremely wary of switching into a Dragon-type move. Blissey is able to easily wall any Dialga set that lacks a physical move, and can cripple Choice Scarf Dialga with Thunder Wave.
This set is designed to beat several common leads in the Uber metagame. The EVs give Scizor just enough attack to beat common leads, and enough bulk for Scizor to be a useful switch-in to Dragon-type assaults, and restore its health later with Roost. With Bug Bite and Bullet Punch, Scizor is able to defeat Deoxys-S with ease. Because Bug Bite followed by a Bullet Punch that will destroy Deoxys-S, even those who carry Focus Sash, Deoxys-S will be forced to either switch out or only set up Stealth Rock in exchange for its life. Deoxys-S leads that carry Reflect and Light Screen will be foiled by Brick Break destroying its screens, and then Deoxys-S will be destroyed itself via Bug Bite and Bullet Punch. Deoxys-S will also be unable to OHKO Scizor with any move it has; not even Hidden Power Fire and Fire Punch will not OHKO this Scizor! Darkrai leads are also beaten thanks to Lum Berry. Darkrai will be unable to OHKO Scizor with any move it uses, while Scizor will always OHKO Darkrai with Bug Bite (and will be destroyed by Bullet Punch the following turn if holding a Focus Sash). Mewtwo leads will be beaten in a similar manner to the way Darkrai leads are destroyed, as Mewtwo leads will almost never be able to fit a Fire-type attack into their move sets. Choice Scarf Shaymin-S leads are 3HKOed by Bullet Punch, while Shaymin-S is only able to 3HKO Scizor with Air Slash, which means that Scizor will win due to Bullet Punch’s priority. Scizor does have a chance against Tyranitar leads as well. Tyranitar will be unable to OHKO Scizor with Flamethrower without a significant EV investment in Special Attack, and will only have a 28% chance of OHKOing Scizor with Fire Punch when using 116 Attack EVs and a neutral nature. Scizor in return, will always outspeed and 2HKO Tyranitar leads with Brick Break. Be warned though, because if the Tyranitar is using a +Attack nature, it will have a much higher chance of OHKOing Scizor with Fire Punch. If you do not want to risk this, Groudon can be switched in to scare off Tyranitar. There are several leads who you should be prepared for whenever using Uber lead Scizor. Kyogre can take any of its attacks, and either 2HKO it with Surf (if Kyogre is the Thunder Wave lead) or OHKO it with Water Spout. Lead Groudon can easily take Scizor’s attacks, thanks to its massive Defense stat, and can use the time to either 2HKO Scizor with Earthquake, OHKO Scizor with Fire Punch, or lay down Stealth Rock. Lead Dialga resists Bullet Punch, and can easily OHKO Scizor with Flamethrower, or predict the switch and set up Stealth Rock. Scizor can pair up well with a Specially Defensive Groudon, as this type of Groudon can survive even Draco Meteors from Dialga, and threaten to do a severe amount of damage with Earthquake. Like with Trapper Scizor, Life Orb or Choice Band Garchomp can switch into Dialga’s Flamethrower, and threaten to destroy Dialga with its STAB Earthquakes. Blissey is able to wall both lead Kyogre and lead Dialga with no problems thanks to its massive Special Defense stat. Palkia and Latias can also be used to defeat lead Kyogre, but be warned that many lead Kyogre carry Thunder Wave for the purpose of crippling Palkia and Latias. Bulk Up Dialga works extremely well with lead Scizor in this case, as it can use most lead Kyogre as set up time. Since most lead Groudon do not carry Fire Punch, Shaymin-S can be switched in to scare off Groudon with the threat of a STAB super effective Seed Flare. Skarmory can switch in on Groudon, and set up Spikes if Groudon lacks a Fire-type attack. A Bulky Kyogre (preferably with a Bold nature, Rest, and Sleep Talk) can scare Groudon off with the threat of hitting it with STAB super effective Surfs boosted by the rain. Finally, Giratina can be used to weaken lead Groudon with Will-O-Wisp.
This set may seem odd at first, as unlike all the other Scizor sets, this set focuses on Scizor’s defenses. While this may seem like a waste of Scizor’s great Attack stat, Scizor’s wonderful Bug- / Steel-typing allows it to take on the many Dragon- and Ice-type attacks in Ubers. The EVs and nature are crucial to how this set plays. The 244 HP EVs and 76 Defense EVs allow Scizor to never be 2HKOed by a Choice Band Outrage from Garchomp after taking Stealth Rock damage and gaining Leftovers recovery. An Adamant Choice Band Dialga will only have a 10% chance of 2HKOing this Scizor with Outrage as well. Thanks to this bulk, Scizor will often be able to take both physical and special Dragon-type assaults, an extremely valuable quality in Ubers. The Special Defense EVs and the Careful nature allow Scizor to survive a Latias’s Dragon Pulse followed by a Thunder, even after Stealth Rock. With such a large amount of Special Defense, this Scizor will have no problems taking resisted Choice-boosted attacks, such as Palkia’s Spacial Rend and Choice Specs Kyogre’s Ice Beam. To makes this even sweeter, the combination of Scizor’s heavy investment in Special Defense, HP, and Leftovers allows Scizor to never be 2HKOed by an unboosted Thunder from Timid Palkia, Dialga, or Kyogre. This allows Scizor to switch into half of Choice Scarf Kyogre’s moveset (Ice Beam and Thunder), and will keep Scizor safe from any of Choice Scarf Dialga’s non Fire-type attacks. Groudon should always be considered as a teammate for bulky Uber Scizor, because, thanks to Groudon’s eternal sunlight, even Choice Specs Palkia will be unable to 2HKO Scizor with Surf with Stealth Rock support! Kyogre’s rain can also be very useful to this Scizor, as it can let it live through Flamethrower from Dialga or Palkia with enough health left to possibly recover later. Roost furthers Scizor’s ability to take these powerful special attacks, and is especially valuable considering that the only other viable Steel-type Pokémon in Ubers with access to an immediate recovery move is Skarmory, who has an unfortunate weakness to Thunder and less Special Defense. The 22 Attack EVs are simply there to let Scizor have an extra bit of power, but feel free to move these EVs to either Defense or Special Defense if you feel the extra power is not needed. Something to note is that as bulky this Scizor is, Latias will have an 80% chance of 2HKOing Scizor with Thunder, if Scizor switches into its Thunder, after Stealth Rock damage. Also, a Modest Choice Specs Dialga has a small chance of doing the same with Draco Meteor. To solve this, you can use the spread of 248 HP / 8 Def / 252 SpD with a Careful nature. With this spread, Latias will only have a 6% chance of 2HKOing Scizor with Thunder after Stealth Rock, while Choice Specs Dialga will never be able to 2HKO Scizor with Draco Meteor. This alternate EV spread comes with a consequence though; Scizor will often be 2HKOed by a Choice Band Garchomp’s Outrage after it takes Stealth Rock damage. U-turn is on this Scizor for a number of reasons. When the opponent sees that a Pokémon, such as Choice Scarf Palkia, can not even 4HKO this Scizor with Spacial Rend, they will often switch to a better way to deal with Scizor. U-turn will let Scizor scout and damage the opponent’s next switch-in, and let you switch to a Pokémon who will beat your opponent’s Pokémon. U-turn will also be Scizor’s best weapon against Latias and offensive Mewtwo, who will take 63% - 75% and 59% - 70% respectively. Darkrai will also take 74% - 87% from Scizor’s U-turn, weakening to the point where almost any priority move can KO it. Bullet Punch, while being much weaker than usual, is still a great move on Scizor because it lets it easily OHKO Deoxys-A before it can move, and allows Scizor to revenge kill several weakened Pokémon. For example, Bullet Punch will deal 32% - 38% to Darkrai, 30% - 36% to Shaymin-S, and 25% - 30% to Rayquaza. Note that all three of these Pokémon are 3HKOed by Bullet Punch, after taking Stealth Rock damage. The final move slot has many viable moves to choose from. The first is Brick Break. Brick Break’s main purpose is to break both Light Screen and Reflect. This is extremely useful in Ubers, as users of both Light Screen and Reflect (such as Mewtwo) have the potential to set up not only deadly sweepers (such as Groudon and Rayquaza), but also Baton Pass Mew. Baton Pass Mew is incredibly hard to stop when both Light Screen and Reflect are up, thus Scizor’s Brick Break can make teams centered around Baton Pass Mew much easier to stop. Light Screen is another good move to choose. As mentioned before, many Choiced Pokémon who are locked into an unfavorable attack will switch out, thus allowing Scizor to set up Light Screen, which will make the hard hitting Special threats that may switch into Scizor (such as Kyogre and Dialga) much easier for the rest of your team to handle. Knock Off is another viable option on Scizor. Knock Off’s item removing effects will annoy common Scizor switch-ins, such as Forretress and Giratina, as neither will like losing their Leftovers recovery, especially since they lack a recovery move, or a reliable one in Giratina's case. More importantly, Knock Off will allow Scizor to potentially reveal the sets of the many unpredictable Pokémon of Ubers. This is especially great against Dialga, who is not only a huge threat to Scizor, but to the rest of your team due to its unpredictability. With its item seen and removed, guessing which set Dialga is using becomes a far less dangerous task. Finally, Toxic can be a useful move for Scizor to use. Toxic can greatly shorten the life of common Scizor switch-ins, such as Kyogre, Groudon, and Palkia, and will also let Scizor beat Lugia. Toxic can be used to poison Pokémon, such as Garchomp and Palkia, who are locked into Outrage, allowing you to rack up some poison damage when they use their most powerful move. Be warned though, several of Scizor’s other common switch-ins (such as Forretress, Giratina, and Dialga) will not care about Toxic at all. While this Scizor set will take on Choiced Pokémon very well, Pokémon who bluff a Choice item (such as Kyogre, Dialga, and Palkia), but are carrying a different items can cause huge problems for bulky Uber Scizor. Thus, it is best to look for information that can reveal whether or not the opposing Pokémon is carrying a Choice Scarf. For example, if Dialga and Kyogre recover their health via Leftovers, this means that you should switch Scizor back out, as Dialga and Kyogre are bound to do a massive amount of damage to Scizor. Life Orb damage will also give away Kyogre’s, Dialga’s, and Palkia’s item. Palkia will often use Lustrous Orb as well, so it is best to be very careful when facing Palkia. If for any reason these Pokémon are not carrying items, then Latias and Garchomp will prove to be excellent partners for Uber bulky Scizor. Latias will be able to easily take Kyogre’s Water-type assaults, and easily set up Calm Minds as Kyogre struggles to do much damage to Latias. Both Life Orb and Choice Band Garchomp can take the Thunders and Fire Blasts Dialga aimed as Scizor, and then OHKO Dialga with Earthquake. Both Latias and Garchomp can take the Fire- and Electric-type attacks that Palkia aims at Scizor, and then outspeed and OHKO it with their STAB Dragon-type attacks. Team OptionsOUAs with any offensive Pokemon, Scizor will find entry hazards extremely helpful, achieving several notable 2HKOs. Any set with U-turn will find Stealth Rock in particular very helpful, as U-turn damage combined with the entry hazard damage can quickly build up to weaken Scizor’s Stealth Rock weak counters like Zapdos and Gyarados. Toxic Spikes can help wear down bulky Water-types, while Spikes does both this and weakens Heatran. Fire-type attacks are the easiest way to deal with Scizor, so a Pokemon who can absorb them is useful. Heatran, Tyranitar, Snorlax, and Blissey can all take Fire-type hits from Zapdos, Rotom-h, and Heatran. Any Scizor set, especially the offensive ones, will benefit greatly from Rotom-A being removed. Tyranitar is a good way of dealing with Rotom-A, threatening it with Crunch, Pursuit, or Dark Pulse. Heatran is also a good answer, switching in for free on Will-O-Wisp or Overheat and threatening to OHKO with Fire Blast. Zapdos can be dealt with similarly. Heatran and Gyarados are other common Scizor counters, both of whom can be dealt with using a bulky Water-type such as Vaporeon. UbersWhen using Scizor in Ubers, it is best to always have a Stealth Rock user somewhere on the team. This is because several of Scizor's KOs on Pokémon such as Rayquaza or Darkrai require the damage from Stealth Rock to happen. Kyogre’s ability, Drizzle, can greatly aid Scizor, as its effect of reducing the power of Fire-type moves can allow Scizor to survive a Hidden Power Fire from Latias (though it still 2HKOes), unboosted Flamethrowers from Mewtwo and Palkia, and sometimes even an unboosted Fire Blast from Palkia! Groudon’s eternal sun can also be of use to Scizor, as it allows Scizor to have a much easier time taking Surfs from Palkia. Scizor’s one glaring flaw is its low Speed, thus paralysis support can be a huge help to Scizor. Giratina-O is a particularly good user of Thunder Wave for Scizor, as it lures in Darkrai, Dialga, and Latias. With these threats paralyzed, Scizor can hit them hard before they even move. This is especially useful for Choice Band Scizor, as it can revenge kill a paralyzed Dialga with Superpower. Thunder Wave Kyogre can lure in Palkia and Latias and paralyze them as well. There are several Pokémon who can completely wall Scizor’s movesets in Ubers. Forretress can switch into any of Scizor’s attacks, with the exception of a Choice Band Superpower, with ease, and use the time to set up entry hazards. Giratina can take anything Scizor throws at it, and either cripple it with Will-O-Wisp or use the time to set up Calm Minds. Lugia has no problems switching in on most Scizor, and can use Reflect to weaken Scizor’s attacks to the point where, even if Scizor uses U-turn as Lugia Roosts, it will still be able to tank Scizor’s assaults. Skarmory can handle Uber Scizor sets with almost no problems, and can easily set up Spikes as Scizor struggles to damage Skarmory. Because of these problems, a support Dialga with Toxic is a superb teammate for Scizor. Dialga will roast both Skarmory and Forretress with the Fire-type attack of its choice, and can also fry Skarmory with Thunder. Toxic will ruin Lugia’s ability to wall Scizor, while Dialga’s Draco Meteor will destroy Giratina who have not used Calm Mind once. A Bulk Up Dialga can use Forretress as a time to set up, and can smash Calm Mind Giratina with boosted STAB Outrages. A Dragon Dance Tyranitar can lure Skarmory, and Forretress, and then use Taunt as they attempt to stop Tyranitar’s sweep, thus allowing Scizor to do some serious damage to opposing teams after Tyranitar is stopped. A support Groudon with Toxic can cripple Lugia. Groudon also has the option of using Overheat to OHKO Skarmory as it switches in, as Groudon brings the sun to boost its Fire-type attack. Mewtwo can set up on Skarmory, Lugia, and most Giratina with a combination of Taunt and Calm Mind. Darkrai also has the capability of putting these walls to sleep, and then smashing through them with its powerful Nasty Plot-boosted assaults. Choice Specs Kyogre has the power to smash through all of theses walls with ease. Finally, if Scizor has Pursuit, Tickle Wobbuffet can lower Lugia’s Defense, allowing Scizor to destroy Lugia with Pursuit. Although not commonly seen as a wall, Mewtwo can cripple Scizor with Will-O-Wisp, or wall Scizor with a combination of Will-O-Wisp and Reflect. If you suspect that the Mewtwo you are facing has any these moves, using strong special attackers, such as Kyogre and Giratina-O, is recommended. There are several threats that can take Scizor’s assaults, and then smash through it’s defenses. Ho-oh is quite possibly the biggest threat to Scizor. Ho-oh takes pitiful damage from Scizor’s attacks, and can easily OHKO Scizor with Sacred Fire, rain or shine. Dialga can switch into any of Scizor’s attacks, bar a Superpower, and threaten to OHKO Scizor with either Fire Blast or Flamethrower. Both Palkia and Kyogre can switch into Scizor’s Bullet Punches, and can threaten to destroy Scizor with their powerful, STAB Water-type assaults in the rain (Palkia can also roast Scizor with Fire Blast). Groudon’s impressive base 100 HP stat and base 140 Defense stat allows Groudon to take Scizor’s attacks, and can threaten to 2HKO Scizor with Earthquake, or OHKO Scizor with either Fire Punch or Overheat. When dealing with Ho-oh, Kyogre will ruins its parade with the Fire-type weakening rain, and Kyogre will easily OHKO Ho-oh with Surf. Stealth Rock will also limit the amount of times Ho-oh can switch into Scizor, due to it losing 50% of its health each switch in. A Specially Defensive Groudon can take Dialga’s attacks, as long as it lacks Choice Band, Choice Specs, or Life Orb, and do a severe amount of damage to it with Earthquake. Most notably, Groudon is one of the best answers to Bulk Up Dialga. A Garchomp with either Life Orb or Choice Band is another excellent teammate for Scizor, as it can easily switch into the Fire- and Electric-type attacks Dialga aims at Scizor, and threaten to OHKO Dialga with Earthquake as long as Dialga has not used Bulk Up. If the weather is sunny, Garchomp will have an easy time switching into Palkia’s Fire-type attacks as well, since Palkia’s Surf will be greatly weakened. Latias is another great teammate that can help solve some of Scizor’s problems. Latias can easily switch into the Water-, Electric-, and Fire-type attacks that Palkia will attempt to beat Scizor with, and then outspeed and destroy Palkia with Dragon Pulse. Choice Scarf Palkia can also be used as time to set up Calm Mind. Latias can switch into both Groudon’s Earthquake and Fire-type attacks, and do a severe amount of damage to Groudon with either Dragon Pulse or Grass Knot. Finally, Latias is one of the most reliable answers to Kyogre in the game, being able to take its powerful Choice Specs-boosted Water-type assaults, and slam it with Thunder or Grass Knot. Latias also has the capability to set up Calm Mind on other Kyogre variants with ease. Palkia can take Kyogre’s powerful Water Spouts, and 2HKO Kyogre with Thunder, weakening Kyogre and, therefore, its Water Spout as well. Shaymin-S can switch in on Groudon’s Earthquakes, and then proceed to OHKO it with Seed Flare. As long as Groudon lacks a Fire-type attack, Skarmory can take Groudon’s Stone Edges, and use the time to set up Spikes. Lugia can generally take on most Groudon, with the exception of Groudon who have Rock Polish and Stone Edge, Toxic, or Thunder Wave. Blissey is able to take almost any special attack aimed at Scizor, with the exception of a Choice Specs Kyogre’s Water Spout. Finally, Giratina can take even +2 Dragon Claws from Groudon, and then cripple it with Will-O-Wisp. Scizor’s typing grants it a lone weakness to Fire-type moves, thus it is best to partner him with Pokémon who resist these moves, in addition to Pokémon who Scizor can cover with its excellent typing. A fantastic example of this is Giratina-O. Giratina-O and Scizor together resist almost every single type in the game, the only types the duo do not resist are Flying- and Rock-types. Giratina can also take Fire-type attacks with ease, while Scizor will take the many Dark-, Ghost-, Ice-, and Dragon-type attacks that are aimed at Giratina. Latias (or Latios) and Scizor are another great defensive duo, once again resisting every single type with the exception of Rock- and Flying-types. Palkia is able take the Fire-type attacks that are aimed at Scizor with no problems thanks to its 4x resistance to Fire-type attacks, while Scizor resists Palkia’s sole weakness to the Dragon-type attacks. Both Rayquaza and Garchomp resist Fire-type attacks for Scizor, while Scizor covers up both Rayquaza and Garchomp’s weaknesses to Ice- and Dragon-type attacks. Kyogre not only resists Fire-type attacks for Scizor, but is also able to let Scizor survive some Fire-type attacks thanks to Kyogre’s eternal rain. In return, Scizor sports a 4x resistance to Grass-type moves. There is one particular type of team that Scizor struggles to deal with in Ubers: stall teams. Stall teams often have Pokémon such as Forretress, Groudon, Giratina, and sometimes Lugia. These are all Pokémon who give Scizor a significant amount of problems in Ubers. To make this situation worse, Forretress and Groudon’s entry hazards will be very harmful to Scizor, especially Choice Band Scizor. There are several Pokémon that can make Scizor’s life much easier when facing stall teams. Giratina-O can easily set up Substitutes and Calm Mind on Blissey who lack Calm Mind, and threaten to sweep entire stall teams. The only Pokémon that make common appearances on stall teams that will give Giratina-O problems are Calm Mind Blissey, Latias, and a Forretress with Light Screen and Payback. Scizor can take out Latias with Pursuit, while Blissey will almost never stay in on Scizor. When Scizor with Pursuit is paired with Tickle Wobbuffet, they form a deadly wall breaking duo that can spell doom for both Blissey and Lugia. Mixed Rayquaza will often lure in Groudon and Lugia, only to 2HKO both with Draco Meteor. Mild or Hasty mixed Dialga can also lure in and destroy Groudon with Draco Meteor. Both mixed Dialga and mixed Rayquaza can roast Forretress with Fire Blast, and destroy Giratina with Outrage or Draco Meteor. A Kyogre with Calm Mind, Rest, and Sleep Talk can easily destroy stall teams if Scizor has Pursuited Latias to her grave. A Swords Dance Garchomp with Life Orb will do a huge amount of damage to Groudon, and gain surprise kills on Forretress and Lugia (as long as Lugia is Bold), while Scizor can once again destroy Latias with Pursuit. One or two of the Pokémon listed here should always be considered when using Scizor, or else stall teams can easily take advantage of Scizor. Other OptionsOURotom formes lose a chunk of health from a Choice Band Night Slash, while Return and Double Hit hit Zapdos and Gyarados, passing a 2HKO on max HP Gyarados after Stealth Rock when taking Intimidate into account. Iron Head and Bug Bite are usually outclassed by Bullet Punch and U-turn, respectively, on a Choice set, however have utility on rare Choice Scarf sets. With Technician, Metal Claw is slightly weaker than Iron Head (about an 8 point difference), but has a 10% chance of an Attack boost. Reversal can also work well thanks to Scizor’s immunity to sandstorm and access to Swords Dance, Agility, Substitute, and Endure. Scizor has plenty of support options like Light Screen, Rain Dance, and Safeguard that work well with U-turn and Roost. Swarm is a lesser ability for Scizor when compared to Technician, but it can be used in conjunction with Substitute and a pinch Berry. Make sure that you use X-Scissor instead of Bug Bite when using Swarm Scizor, because X-Scissor is more powerful than Bug Bite without Technician. UbersSwords Dance Scizor is most certainly a viable option in Ubers, as it can surprise several of its common switch-ins. For example, Scizor can use Forretress, a common switch-in to Scizor in Ubers, as time to set up more Swords Dances. When using Swords Dance Scizor in Ubers, it is best to use and Adamant nature, Life Orb, and an EV spread of 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe. While using max Speed on Scizor may seem like a waste of EVs in Ubers, it allows Scizor to outspeed several base 90 Ubers if they don't invest much of their EVs in Speed (Kyogre, Groudon, Dialga, and Giratina being important Pokémon that will occasionally be outsped). After one Swords Dance, Bullet Punch will have a 87% chance to OHKO Mewtwo after it takes Stealth Rock damage, Rayquaza and Latias will always be OHKOed after taking Stealth Rock damage, while Darkrai and Shaymin-S will be OHKOed regardless of whether or not Stealth Rock is on the field. A +2 Bug Bite will always OHKO a max HP Kyogre, while a Bold Kyogre with max HP and Defense will take a massive 79% - 94%. After one Swords Dance, Bug Bite will always 2HKO any Groudon, no matter what EV spread they are using. Bullet Punch will also have enough power to 2HKO Lugia after it takes Stealth Rock damage (dealing 46% - 55% to the standard 252 HP / 52 Def Bold Lugia), while Bug Bite will always 2HKO Lugia, meaning that if Lugia lacks Reflect or Whirlwind, it has the possibility of losing to Scizor. Swords Dance Scizor even has the option of using Night Slash to 2HKO Giratina after one Swords Dance. Thanks to the Speed EVs, Scizor can outspeed Dialga that do not invest in Speed EVs, and then OHKO it with Superpower. The reason why this set is in other options is mainly because unlike Rayquaza and Lucario, Palkia and Kyogre that invest in Speed EVs can stop Scizor from sweeping due to their resistance to Bullet Punch (although both Kyogre and Palkia are 2HKOed by it after taking Stealth Rock damage) and ability to OHKO Scizor. When ever using Swords Dance Scizor, make sure that you not only have ways to handle Palkia and Kyogre, but to also have reasons to use it over Rayquaza and Lucario. Baton Pass is a very viable move for Uber Scizor, because it allows Swords Dance Scizor to take advantage of Forretress switch-ins, and attempt to pass the Swords Dance to powerful physical attackers such as Groudon, Rayquaza, and Garchomp. Occa Berry is a very viable option in Ubers when paired with Kyogre's eternal rain, because this will let Scizor survive even Fire Blasts from Dialga and Palkia! EVsOUThe suggested EVs on the Swords Dance and Choice Band sets are usually best, the former allowing you to outspeed Pokémon like neutral Speed nature Tyranitar with 224 EVs and minimum Speed Uxie with a neutral nature if you opt for 252 EVs in Speed. On the Swords Dance set, it’s perfectly viable to go for the extra bulk that 248 HP provides, or even use EVs in Defense or Special Defense; the latter suggested in the trapper set. On the Choice Band set, you could maximize Speed and Attack. On both sets, you can also meet somewhere in the middle, with enough EVs to outspeed minimum Speed Skarmory with a neutral nature (56 EVs) or minimum Speed Suicune with a neutral nature and maximum Speed, and Speed-boosting nature Marowak (168 EVs), with the remaining EVs going in HP. Max Speed is recommended on the Swords Dance set rather than the Choice Band set, simply because the Swords Dance set lacks the initial 'oomph' necessary to OHKO even 4 HP Tyranitar with Bullet Punch (doing only 75.4% - 89.5%), meaning that a faster Brick Break is necessary for a quick KO; the Choice Band set will do 87.7% - 103.5% (an OHKO with Stealth Rock) to that same Tyranitar, making the Speed EVs negligible. UbersWhen using Choice Band Scizor in Ubers, it is advised to use an Adamant nature and an EV spread of either 200 HP / 56 Atk / 252 SpD or 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 Spe. The bulkier EV spread allows Scizor to survive a boosted Thunder from Latias after taking Stealth Rock damage, while the more powerful EV spread sacrifices durability for the extra power to gain several KOs. When using the Uber Trapper set, it is best to use an EV spread of 176 HP / 100 Atk / 232 SpD with an Adamant nature. The Attack EVs allow Scizor to always 2HKO Rayquaza with Bullet Punch after it takes Stealth Rock damage. The HP and Special Defense EVs allow Scizor to take the many Ice- and Dragon-type attacks of Ubers relatively well. The Uber lead should use an EV spread of 248 HP / 10 Atk / 252 SpD. The heavy investment in HP and Special Defense allows Scizor to not only survive any Fire-type attack from Deoxys-S, but will also allow Scizor to become a useful switch-in to Ice - and Dragon-type attacks later, thanks to Roost. Bulky Uber Scizor should always use a Careful nature, and it is recommended to use an EV spread of 244 HP / 22 Atk / 76 Def / 168 SpD. The HP and Defense investment allow Scizor to never be 2HKOed by a Choice Band Garchomp's Outrage after Stealth Rock, while the Special Defense investment allows Scizor to take powerful Special Attacks, such as a Choice Specs Palkia's Spacial Rend. If you need Scizor to almost always survive two Thunders from Latias after Stealth Rock damage, and two Choice Specs Draco Meteors from Modest Dialga, then use the EV spread of 248 HP / 4 Def / 252 SpD with a Careful nature. This comes at a cost though; a Choice Band Garchomp will have a high chance of 2HKOing Scizor with Outrage after Stealth Rock damage. The Trapper set can also work with a much more defensive EV spread such as 246 HP / 16 Atk / 248 SpD – using an Adamant nature and Leftovers. With this, you’re able to take two Thunders from most Latias. This spread, or something similar, can also be beneficial in OU, allowing you to switch in on threats like Gengar much easier and KO with Pursuit. Bullet Punch will still be strong, but isn’t going to OHKO like it can with the more offensive sets. OpinionOUScizor is extremely threatening with 130 base Attack, Technician, one weakness (albeit a x4 Fire-type weakness), a boosted Bullet Punch, and STAB U-turn. Add Swords Dance and Life Orb to the mix, and Bullet Punch becomes highly scary. STAB U-turn allows Scizor to weaken its counters before sweeping with Bullet Punch lategame, and even Bug-resistant Pokemon will have a hard time taking repeated hits. Scizor is great in that it can act as a makeshift counter to some of the most threatening sweepers in OU like Dragon Dance Tyranitar, Salamence, Gengar, and Azelf with Bullet Punch. Scizor is highly recommended on any OU team in DPP because of this. UbersDespite being an OU Pokémon, it is almost as if Scizor was designed for Uber play. Scizor is a superb scout for offensive teams with U-turn, which it gets STAB on. Scizor's STAB U-turns do a massive amount of damage to the many Psychic-type Pokémon in Ubers as well. Bullet Punch is a powerful priority move thanks to it being a STAB move boosted by Technician, meaning that Scizor is easily able to destroy Deoxys-A, and is also able to pick off weakened Pokémon such as Darkrai and Rayquaza. Scizor is one of the few viable users of Pursuit in Ubers, allowing Scizor to trap and kill Pokémon such as Mewtwo and Latias. To sweeten the deal, Scizor even pairs up well with Tickle Wobbuffet, allowing the duo to smash Blissey and Lugia to pieces. Scizor's excellent Bug / Steel-typing allows it to take on the powerful Ice-type and Dragon-type attacks that are common in Ubers. Scizor even has access to Roost to take advantage of these great resistances. Overall, Scizor's amazing typing and wonderful movepool make it a force to be reckoned with in Ubers. CountersRotom-A makes an excellent counter to Scizor, especially Rotom-H, as it can OHKO Scizor with Overheat. They only fear Pursuit or Night Slash from the Choice Band set, as they’re immune to Fighting-type moves and resist both Bug- and Steel-type attacks. Zapdos and Gyarados are in a similar situation, having the luxury of resisting Bug-, Steel-, and Fighting-type attacks. Zapdos can KO with Heat Wave, while Gyarados is usually free to set up with Dragon Dance thanks to its typing and Intimidate. Heatran is usually a good counter, having 4x resistances to Bug- and Steel-type attacks and will KO with its super effective STAB Fire-type attacks. However, Heatran will have to be careful of Superpower and Brick Break. Like Heatran, Magnezone needs to be wary of Fighting-type attacks, but comes with the added bonus of trapping any Scizor lacking U-turn, thanks to Magnet Pull. Moltres and Charizard resist everything, bar Quick Attack, Pursuit, and Night Slash, but with the omnipresent Stealth Rock in play, it’s difficult for them to be true counters. Arcanine is another Fire-type who can cause Scizor big problems, especially if it's utilizing the Intimidate ability. Most good physical walls should fare well against the Choice Band set, such as Hippowdon and Gliscor. They won’t do as well against the Swords Dance set, as both are 2HKOed if they switch into Stealth Rock (after a Swords Dance). Hippowdon can use Roar to force Scizor out after it’s taken a hit, but this is only a short term solution to the problem. Skarmory also walls the Choice Band set, but will fail to 2HKO Scizor with Brave Bird. Skarmory can use Whirlwind to foil any attempts at Scizor setting up with Swords Dance, but, like with Hippowdon, this is only a temporary solution. If Scizor is carrying Roost, then it should come out on top against Skarmory; a Swords Dance Superpower also 2HKOes the metal bird. Shedinja is immune to almost every attack Scizor has, only having to worry about Pursuit or Night Slash. It can hinder Scizor with Will-O-Wisp or try to set up. Infernape is rather frail, but does resist Bullet Punch, and so it can force Scizor out the majority of the time (switching in will be more difficult than with most other counters though). In the Uber environment, Ho-oh is one of Scizor’s best counters. Even with Stealth Rock on the field, Ho-oh can easily come in on any of Scizor’s attacks, and destroy Scizor with Sacred Fire, regardless of the weather. Giratina will also wall Scizor’s entire moveset, and either cripple Scizor with a burn from Will-O-Wisp, or set up Calm Mind. Lugia with Reflect have no problems taking any of Scizor’s attacks. Lugia must be careful if it lacks Reflect though, as Scizor’s STAB Bug-type attacks will do a huge amount of damage to Lugia when it uses Roost (due to losing the Flying-typing when using Roost). Groudon can take Scizor’s assaults thanks to its massive 140 base Defense stat, and either 2HKO Scizor with Earthquake or OHKO Scizor with a Fire-type attack. Dialga can switch into Scizor’s Bug-, Steel-, and Dark-type attacks with ease, and either set up with Bulk Up or OHKO Scizor with a Fire-type attack. Dialga must be wary though, as a Choice Band Superpower from Scizor can OHKO Dialga. Kyogre can take a Bullet Punch from Scizor, thanks to its resistance, and threaten to destroy Scizor with its insanely powerful STAB, rain-boosted Water-type assaults. Palkia can also switch into Scizor’s Bullet Punch, and either annihilate it with its STAB rain-boosted Surfs, or roast Scizor with a Fire-type attack. Be warned, however, as both Kyogre and Palkia will take a massive amount of damage from U-turn and Superpower. |
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